“You’re impossible. You’re going to wake up one day and be old and alone.”
He waved his hand at her. “Yeah, whatever. Are we done here?”
“No. We need to talk about the food and the decorations. I was thinking we could do a theme. I think Ma would love that. Do you have any ideas on that?”
He ran his hand through his hair. “No. Do what you want. I’ll get a place for the party and give you the money for it, but that’s where my involvement ends.”
“Mateo, I need your help.”
“No, you don’t, and don’t call me that. Mateo’s been gone for a long time.” Eleven years, to be exact. Once he’d hit eighteen, he’d signed on as a prospect for the Night Rebels and he never looked back. He wished his family would accept that part of his life instead of pretending it wasn’t real or it was just temporary.
“I refuse to call you Muerto. I mean, do you seriously want people to call you Death?”
He looked at her stone-faced. “Yeah. Fuckin’ deal with it.” She shook her head. “Then call me M like your kids do, but don’t call me Mateo. Only one who can do that is Ma.”
“I’m the oldest, so I should be tellingyouwhat to do. I hate when you do this shit. I mean, you act like everything I do or say is petty. When you do that, you’re telling me you think my life is insignificant and a big fucking joke.” Her voice cracked and she covered her face with her hands.
Muerto, at a loss for words, sat and stared at her.What the fuck just happened?As she sniffled he grew more uncomfortable. He hated when a woman cried, even though he should’ve been used to it since he’d grown up with a single mom and two sisters. But he wasn’t, and it would always rip through him when one of them would cry.
He wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. And I don’t think your life is insignificant. I mean, look at you. You’re a kickass mom, you manage to keep a good home for your kids, look terrific, and have time to make Joe feel like a king in his house. I think you’re fuckin’ great. I just don’t tell you that very often.”
Instead of the teary giggles he was used to, she broke out into low, breathy sobs. He stood up and went over to her, gently tugging her to him even though she resisted.
She finally relaxed and buried her face in his T-shirt. He held her as her body heaved and her nose ran. He grabbed a paper napkin from the coffee table and handed it to her. She took it and pulled back a bit, her puffy eyes red and wet as she blew her nose. She leaned back against the couch and smoothed her dark hair down. “Sorry for that. I know how you hate a crying woman.” She laughed through her tears.
“No worries. What’s going on? You’ve been on edge since I got here. Are you pissed off at me about something?”
She wiped her nose again and breathed out. “I think Joe’s cheating on me.”
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I found lipstick on one of his shirts yesterday, and I’ve had at least three hang-up calls this morning. And he changed the password to his computer.”
He put his hand on her forearm. “Do you think it’s with someone in Alina or when he’s on the road?” Joe was a long-distance truck driver who usually spent ten days at a stretch on the interstates. He’d come home for a few days and then be back on the road for another stretch. Muerto admired the way his sister handled raising her children and dealing with the absence of her husband. As he watched her heart breaking in front of him, a slow burn started to ignite his nerves. All he wanted to do was find his fucking brother-in-law and beat the shit out of him.
“I think it’s someone local. All the time he’s been driving, I never suspected him of cheating. He never gave me a reason to, but for the past few months he’s been acting real restless. I know I’ve been tired and not in the mood, but I’ve gone back to work to make up for the cut in hours Joe said he’s had. Now I wonder if I’ve been working to help him have some free time to spend withher.”
“Maybe he’s just been going to the strip bar. A new one’s opened up in town. I can check it out for you to see if he’s been hanging around there.” He’d seen Joe many times at Lust, but each time Muerto had been there, he’d never seen Joe act inappropriately with any of the dancers or waitresses. He was just a guy with a couple of his friends enjoying a beer and a few dances from some hot women. It’d always seemed innocent enough to him, and he’d never thought of mentioning it to Laura. He hadn’t wanted to start any problems between them, and as long as Joe had kept his hands away and his dick zipped up, he’d been cool with it. But he hadn’t seen Joe at Lust in the last few months.
“If you could do that for me, that’d be great, but I don’t want you confronting him. I’ll deal with this. I’m probably overreacting. It’s just been such a hot summer.”
He clenched his jaw. “Let me know if you need anything. And quit your fuckin’ job. You got enough shit to take care of with the kids, the house, and Ma.”
Before she could say anything, his nephews and niece banged open the screen door, the remnants of their red popsicles around their mouths.
“Uncle M,” they cried excitedly as they rushed over to him. He gathered Lorena in his arms, and she snuggled against him while Javier and Carlos sat next to him, Carlos wedging in between Muerto and Laura.
After a couple hours of roughhousing with the kids, Muerto glanced at his phone. “I gotta go. I have some stuff I have to finish before I head over to the pool hall.” He gave Lorena, Javier, and Carlos a big bear hug and then walked over to the door. Laura followed him outside. He pulled her to him and hugged her. “I’ll look into things for you,” he whispered in her ear.
She raised her hand up over her eyes, shielding them from the western sun. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Please don’t say anything to Joe. Promise me?”
He looked away, the fire that had started when she’d first told him about her suspicions still raging inside him. He couldn’t promise her what she wanted. “I’ll try not to beat the shit outta him if I find out he’s been a fuckin’ louse.” He shook his head when she pushed him back a little with her hands. “That’s the best I can give you.”
She nodded as she fanned herself with her hand. “Remember to book the place for Ma’s birthday party.” He pulled out a wad of bills and gave them to her. “What’s this?”
“It’s for Ma’s party and whatever else you need.” She tried to hand it back to him, but he ran down the steps. “Stop working. If you need me for anything, give me a call.”
“Mateo, I don’t need this much money. We’re supposed to split the party. Mateo… are you listening to me?”
